In a significant step towards honouring the legacy of Indian indentured labourers, KwaZulu-Natal is set to unveil a monumental tribute that encapsulates their sacrifices and contributions.
Contractor and artist Brendon Edwards said most of the steel structure has been done and they were waiting to have site access, which has been granted.
He said the 8m high monument will have the 684 names of Indian indentured labourers and those of the 29 people who died on the Belvedere. The sugarcane archer will be 684 strands representing the DNA of those who made the trip. This will then come down into the additional bronze which has now been added representing the family of the indentured.
There will be a pond to symbolise the ocean, water and trip they made.
Embracing the design is the Zulu nation kraal, welcoming the indentured.
KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said the project, now budgeted at R5 million, is set to be completed in time for the 165th commemoration of the 1860 arrival on Sunday, November 16.
Ntuli said the initial proposal to erect a bell tower at uShaka Marine World, the historic landing site of the SS Truro, sparked opposition. Critics pointed out that a bell symbolised the oppressive conditions under which the labourers worked. The ringing of bells – to mark the beginning of shifts at the plantations – was a stark reminder of the colonial oppression under which the labourers toiled.
“We are pleased to hear that after robust debate, the monument to be constructed captures the essence of the indentured experience. It is a powerful representation of family, sacrifice, and hope for a better future.”
Ntuli called on the KZN Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to monitor progress on the construction of the monument and provide his office with a visual briefing on what was happening on a weekly or monthly basis because he wanted to see the project realised.
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture MEC Mntomuhle Khawula said he is “going to begin to sleep peacefully” and he was glad construction was finally happening.
“When I started the process of wanting to do the job… I realised it was a baptism of fire. We consulted and the meetings were very heated. So we consulted and consulted until about a few weeks ago, we came to an agreement.”
Consul General of India Dr Thelma John David said: “This will be yet another moment when we can celebrate and commemorate the sacrifices made by Indians abroad and understand how it then binds our two countries as young democracies together.”
Seelan Achary, who chaired the initial monument committee, said like the Premier, they want to see progress.
“We want to make sure the main thrust of the monument can have all the other items on the side. It’s the statue of the cane cutter, the lady carrying the cane and the child slung to her back. The picture you see shows the child being carried on her hip. How do you do work when you carry a child on your hip? That’s not a true reflection,” Archery said.
“We want to make sure that the message we give through this monument is that we are firmly and squarely black Africans, integrated into this country and proud to say we are South Africans. Therefore our national flag speaks to that and the national anthem as a symbol speaks to that.”
Prince Ishwar Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu, who was also part of the initial committee, said: “When we look back on where our forebears have come from and where we’re standing today on the shores of the Indian Ocean, we are relieved because we are honouring their legacy by having the design concluded.”
Global Girmitiya Centre South Africa’s secretary, Pradeep Ramlall, reflecting on the Premier’s comments, said the Premier underscored and emphasised the contributions made by a community long suffering, long marginalised, long oppressed who contributed purposely for the wider good of the community who were not isolated in how they portrayed their activities and constantly interacted with the wider, arguably more oppressed communities.
“Today we see the vindication of their struggle and the sacrifices. They’ve attained a degree of mobility and social standing. They are an integral part of this country, this soil and they continue to do so,” Ramlall said.
“The creation of this monument is long overdue because that monument will be a metaphor, it will be a reminder of their long-standing sacrifices and contributions.”
Former KZN Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Ravi Pillay, said: “The most important thing is not to forget the original mission of this and that is those workers who were not even regarded as human beings.
“The main message is the triumph over that adversity, the resilience that you can take something negative and transform it into a positive and that’s the value framework that underpins all of that,” Pillay said.